the dust and bones which it became necessary to remove at the last reparation were carefully and decently deposited in another place on the outside of the church.-5th, In 1803, when a volunteer force was of such eminent service for the peace and defence of the kingdom, this parish met for prayer and conference, and offered one man for every eight persons of the whole population to serve as volunteers in arms, above eighty men holding up their hand to give this pledge, and with hardly any distinction between church-going people and dissenters. The parish of Moffat soon after met and offered 120 men. Then followed the parish of Wamphray, offering 60; and Johnstone thereafter met and agreed to a similar offer. After the volunteer force of the nation had risen in arms, there appeared no longer any signs of internal disaffection. The minister for Scotland, the late Lord Melville, had foreseen this happy result; and the venerated monarch happily authorized that important and salutary measure, which prevented invasion as well as disturbance.-6th, When the London Missionary Society was first set on foot, the late minister of this parish remitted to it a collection of L. 30. This parish has contributed also to most of the religious and charitable purposes recommended by a promise of usefulness, and in particular to such as were supported by the countenance of the General Assembly of this church, as the Highland schools, to which L. 15 were first remitted; the Indian mission, to which L.8 were first sent, with annual sums thereafter; the colonial churches also in America, to which, and to other charities, various remittances. went from this parish.-7th, The poor had great need of support in 1800, when oat-meal sold for 7s. per stone, and also in 1812 and 1817. But the parishioners gave support: and a generous donation of L.300 to the poor by Mr William Marchbank, at Upper Murthat, (after deducting L.30 for duty,) afforded L.76 in 1817 alone, and liberal aid for other seven years following, when employment was scarce; until, as he ordered, it was all applied, and the special accounts preserved and exhibited.-8th, The late Mrs Milligan Johnstone of Corehead settled L. 35 as a fund of charity, which the minister accumulated to L. 90, and which is now lent on bond to a distinguished family, who allow interest at the rate of five per cent. for it. This is the only fund of the poor at interest here. -9th, The greatest desiderata in this parish are proper clumps of trees in the sheep-walks, to shelter the stock, ornament the country, and furnish weedings and thinnings for use. Some parts appear

eminently suited to this mode of improvement, stones abounding for the fences; and ferns or brakens, indicating a dry and deep soil, adapted exceedingly for forest trees. It would be highly useful and pleasing also to see fruit-trees in most of the gardens of the farmers and cottagers, and it is hoped this will soon take place, and that landholders will encourage it. The want of osiers and willows for baskets may be soon and easily supplied, as cuttings may be had gratis for this purpose from the minister's lands. To open up the best quarries for building stones, especially such as Lochhouse Craig, would be of use, and chiefly if good freestone were thus worked in a near and convenient place. The road across the hills to the lime-works at Closeburn, if made, would be of great advantage not only to this parish, but to the country generally; and especially if, as part of this line, a road were made from Dumcrieff bridge in an equal slope to Bodisbeck height, which would make Hawick ten or twelve miles nearer. In the course of time this road will probably be accomplished, whatever temporary difficulties may obstruct it; and it will open an intercourse from the east to the west of Scotland; and there is no question that, by dividing equally the summit elevation at Bodisbeck, along the whole slope of five miles to Dumcrieff bridge, an easy road could be formed there, which would be far better, and even more speedy than any steeper intermediate line in leading to Moffat; with the advantage of going direct across to the westward by the three river meetings on the Closeburn line, or of turning southward in the shortest and safest direction. The turnpike road for Lochmaben is incomplete, but it has been made a branch of the public lines, and ought to be completed and supported out of the general funds of the district.

The great evil of the poor system in Scotland arises out of endless and uninterrupted public begging; and there is no remedy but one, viz. to enforce residence in the parishes where the poor are known, and where they must work, and will be looked after. If residence were enforced every where, and settlements not acquired so easily, the poor laws of Scotland would be almost perfect; and neglect of the poor would cease where it now exists. The acts recently passed for clearing England of vagrants from Scotland and Ireland, require mutual protection to be given to Scotland, into which for some years, vagrants from England have begun to find their way, besides the hordes that infest it from Ireland.

Farmers are liable for half of what may be assessed for the poor, if landholders do not pay for them; and every liberal farmer is

prudent also when he gives in to the collections in an exemplary manner. It is very injudicious and inconsistent in those, who spend shillings weekly on vagrants, to give in only a penny each, or a halfpenny to the collection on the Lord's day. The farmers of this parish are too well informed and too liberal to act in this manner. On the high and holy duties of domestic charity, it is more blessed surely to give than to receive; and as one per cent. on the land rents almost suffices for aid to the poor, not one of whom goes out to beg, and who are all sober, and, as far as possible, industrious, and generally also contented and grateful, every advantage is reaped from the union of charity with gratitude, industry with economy; the helping hand is here welcome and effective; and if other parishes were to look to their own poor, those of this and the neighbouring parishes, would be more abundantly assisted, while protection would be afforded to the public against endless imposition, accompanied with idleness, vice, and often crime.

February 1834.

PARISH OF WAMPHRAY.

PRESBYTERY OF LOCHMABEN, SYNOD OF DUMFRIES.

THE REV. CHARLES DICKSON, MINISTER.

I. TOPOGRAPHY AND NATURAL HISTORY.

Name, Boundaries, &c.-THE ancient name of the parish was Wamfry or Wamfray, which appears to have been derived from the Scoto-Irish Uamh-fri, signifying the "den or deep glen in the forest." Agreeably to this etymology, the site of the church and old manse is in a deep and woody recess on the south side of Wamfray Water. This water divides the parish almost diagonally from N. E. to S. W.; and in its winding course runs through a romantic glen, which appears formerly to have been entirely covered with wood. Nothing can be conceived more romantic and picturesque than the course of that stream, especially from the bridge, about half a mile below the present manse, to about two miles above it,-bounded as it is on both sides by high steep banks, still clad with young and very thriving woods; in some places, barricadoed by shelving rocks of freestone, from which the water oozes or flows from the neighbouring fields; in others, by lofty, erect, basaltic columns, from the interstices of which may be seen frequent saplings of ash, and the whole mantled over with ivy.

The parish is bounded on the N. by Moffat; on the N. E. by Eskdalemuir; on the E. by Hutton; on the S. by Applegarth; on the W. to S. W. by Kirkpatrick-Juxta and Johnstone; from which two latter parishes it is separated by the river Annan. It is of an oblong and nearly quadrilateral figure. The average extent of the parish in length is nearly 61⁄2 miles, and its breadth about 3 miles. In all, it contains about 19 square miles.

Topographical Appearances.-There are two mountain-ranges in the northern part of the parish, running parallel with the river Annan, and with each other, from S. S. W. to N. N. E. and varying from 1000 to betwixt 2000 and 3000 feet in height. Besides these, there are two ranges of hills nearer the south, and running

also nearly parallel with each other, from S. E. to N. W. The latter rise from 500 or 600 feet to about 1000 feet above sea level. Though some of the lower hills, and some also of the higher, approach to a conical form, yet they are chiefly tabular or ridge. Most of the low lands are on the banks of the Annan; and though there are some level tracts along it, yet they generally rise with a gentle acclivity to the ranges which run parallel with it. There are also some fine valleys more confined and secluded; especially that on the Wamphray Water above the church, where there is a number of extensive fields above its woody banks, both rich and fertile as well as beautiful. Towards the S. E. of the parish, where the hills are low and partly arable, at least yield excellent pasture, the valleys interspersed are perhaps of the deepest soil in the parish, and produce excellent crops. The lowest point in the parish is on the Annan, at the S. W. extremity, about 200 feet above sea level. And the highest point is on the N. E. extremity, where the two mountain-ranges formerly mentioned meet, and terminate at last in the same direction. It is called Lochfell. Its elevation is fully 2500 feet above the sea.

Meteorology. From observations taken by Fahrenheit's thermometer at an elevation of 280 feet above sea level, and nearly 20 feet from the ground, in the shade, with a north-eastern exposure, it appears that the average temperature of the year 1830 was 46°, and that of 1831 was 52°. But as these observations were not made at exactly similar periods, and as the seasons were also of different temperatures, it may be stated that the mean temperature is 47°. The greatest height to which the thermometer was observed to rise last year was on the 31st July, when it stood at noon at 78°, and at two o'clock P. M. same day at 84°. The greatest depression in the same year at noon was on the 25th and 26th January, on both of which days it stood at 28°. Its greatest height in 1830 was on the 28th July, when at noon it stood at 81°, and betwixt two and three o'clock, P. M. same day at 83°, and its greatest depression was on the 24th December, when at noon it stood at 22°, or 10° below freezing point in the shade. The mean pressure of the atmosphere, as ascertained at the same place, but about ten feet lower, by daily observation with the barometer at noon during the last five months of 1831, gives 29.3. The greatest variation took place in December, both the greatest and least pressure being in that month; when, on the 7th, the mercury stood at 28.5, and at 30.3° for several days towards the end of the